Skaters may have new spot in Nashua

NASHUA — A new skateboard park could potentially be built at a vacant site along Broad Street, according to Mayor Donnalee Lozeau.

The current David W. Deane Skateboard Park on Bridge Street is about to be demolished to pave way for a major development project, leaving skateboarders in search of a new location for their park.

According to Lozeau, a committee is recommending that the site at 44 Broad St. be used for the new park. The property, which was previously taken by eminent domain as part of the Broad Street Parkway project, had been occupied by Mayhem Ink, Aidan James Salon, Wizard Cycles and Gregory J. Fine Flooring and Design.

“We are thinking this makes sense,” Lozeau said of the Broad Street parcel for the new skate park.

Although the future parkway will be constructed nearby, the parcel is available for use, she said, adding the Broad Street site has a larger layout than the existing plot on Bridge Street.

“It will be a joint decision,” she said, explaining the Board of Public Works and most likely the Board of Aldermen will determine where the future skate park is built.

Lozeau said the proposed plot at 44 Broad St. is directly on the city’s public bus route and in a visible location.

“The skateboarders are very interested in it,” she said.

So far, $270,000 has been approved for the future skate park, but the location still hasn’t been finalized.

Lozeau said the Broad Street site could be a “win” for the city and the skateboarders. If the plan is feasible, she is hopeful to have the parcel look more like a park by planting additional trees and developing extra green space.

The site is also close to the river, so Lozeau envisions a place where spectators can gather to watch the skaters, which isn’t available at the current location.

Previously, an online petition collected more than 1,270 signatures from individuals hoping to have a new park built before the David W. Deane Skateboard Park is razed to make way for the major development project on Bridge Street.

The city previously contracted with Renaissance Downtowns to develop the 26-acre parcel where the existing park is housed on Bridge Street. The group expects to break ground in the fall on the housing and retail development project that includes a waterfront promenade near the Nashua and Merrimack rivers.

Earl Verrier, manager at Eastern Border in Nashua, said previously that local skaters were devastated when they learned the existing park would be razed because of the development.

Verrier, who sits on the new skate park committee, said earlier that there is a lot of support out there to construct a good quality skating facility that city residents can enjoy for a long time to come.